This will just be a short update about today, or relatively short I suppose.
Today the other 7 mates and I headed back out to Fort Little Creek to join the Grapple and get our hands dirty on some tug maneuvering. The slip where the tug lay was like a U-shape. Two finger piers (about 50 feet wide) jutted out about 300 feet into the water, with a breakwater making the _ of the 1_1 shaped pier.
We were docked on one side and the capt had us bring the tug out into the channel, spin her around 180 degrees and dock her pack on the right side (based on the 1_1 shaped diagram). Then, we had to walk her sideways to the opposite finger pier. At both piers we had to hold her at a stop fore-and-aft wise and keep the bow and stern pinned against the dock with engines, bow thruster, and rudders.
Facing the breakwater with the bow, the ship was on a rough heading of 003. In the morning when we showed up, the wind was blowing steady from roughly 208 degrees. Not too much wind to deal with, but certainly a factor. We were all standing on the bridge when the Capt asked 'Who wants to go first?"... immediately the 5 eager beavers leaped to get the first go. All are from the same school...Kingspoint...and get this feeling that everything has to be a compitition to one up the other. The other 3 of us are kinda just like....we all get a turn, we'll go whenever.
So the 5 went before breakfast. 3 came crashing into the dock and the Capt had to take over to keep it from colliding at too high a speed. The same 3 that thought the simulators were worthless training. The other two did alright. Then we broke for lunch.
During lunch the wind picked up. We got back underway and moving and the wind was coming at us at 25 kts wind gusting to 30. It doesn't sound like much, and 25 kts wind only equals 1 kt of current, but for someone who has never been in charge of a 250 twin screw boat....it might as well been a hurricane
Travis (SUNY guy) went first and did pretty good. I was the next batter up. Travis finished stern-in...so I just walked her to starboard and a put a little forward momentum in to the channel. I spun to starboard and went at the dock at a bit of an angle. I had to keep the bow thruster at 75% strength to port to keep the bow steady. I got about 30 feet away from the dock a little cockeyed and with the wind kicking the stern out (I was bow in), it took forever to walk the stern over without swinging the bow out...and even a harder to keep forward stern way off....but I got her in there.
Then walking the Grappel to to the starboard pier end was a piece of cake. With the wind howling it was just a matter of not getting blown over too fast. I put the engines stopped, flipped the rudder to port, and light thrust to starboard. With the wind on the port/port quarter, we were being blown at about 2 kts to starboard. The wind did all the work for me. When we got about 20 feet from the dock, I put the engine and rudders into a walk to port setting, to slow down the starboard walk...and eased into the dock perfectly at about .1 kts.
The 3rd and final person to take on the wind was Derien. She did a stellar job as well. After we tied her up for the day we all met with the Capt and he said overall the group did well....and said the last three of us did particullary well. He told me I had good common sense an instinct and with more practice I'd be great. So that made me pretty happy.
So that was my first time at the control of a twin screw ship...it was a lot of fun. I look forward to having my hand at the 225 Apache tomorrow. I'm gonna stop now...this has turned into more than a brief! I'll do another update tomorrow on the Apache.
Headed back to Jersey on Sunday!
I've already learned more about ship handling in 2 weeks here than in 4 years of being at A&M. Not sure if thats good. But if its any sign as to whats in store for me.....I can't wait to see where I'll be a year from now.
Thanks for reading....
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Just Call Me Short Straw
Wow I didn't realize how long its been since my last update. If feels like it was just last week or so, but I saw the date and now I'm like damn, that was like forever ago. Here's the lowdown rundown on what I've been up to.
Well, the good 'ol Govt got me. They got me good. I had to cancel my plane ticket home, show up for an unscheduled Saturday class (overtime 2 weeks in a row anyone?) and then take a bus down to Virginia Beach the following Sunday. Even I'm starting to get confused what state I'm in now, so if you're lost that makes a boat load of us. I'm in Virginia Beach, Va...for now.
So I am down here taking classes about Tugboat training. The official document I'm supposed to get is called a Towing Officer's Assessment Record and another called the Mate of Towing. The first one is a big book of things I have to do that a qualified officer has to sign me off as competent. These checklist include such things as backing up to a tow, maneuvering 'at the hip' (tying up alongside underway and moving the tow that way), towing a tow underway a while, etc etc etc. Not too terribly difficult stuff, though it does require a degree of skill.
However, on day one the Capt running the show said with a class as big as we are (8 new mates, 5-7 experiences Capts.) that there is now way we are all going to get all the sign offs. Go MSC! You continue to keep those 4 star employee relationship surveys coming your way....ha.
So for this training we were divided into two groups, the Capts in one and the new Mates in another. The first week the mates went on ship familiarization tours of the two tugs they have down here (more on that in a few) and then spent time in one simulator, while the Capts. went to the another simulator run by an outside company. Nothing real special about the week. Our simulator was an MSC, so low budget and it showed. But it did a good job and really taught us how to maneuver and manipulate a ship using twin screws and rudders and a bow thruster.
This week, the Capts and Mates switched. We (the mates ) went to Mid Atlantic Maritime Academy, an training facility for Merchant Mariners. They have a high end simulator there that we used to further practice driving similar ship that we would be driving later in the week. We mainly practiced docking and picking up tows in various winds and currents. My favorite things is where you 'walk' the tug. You literally make the tug move sideways instead of forward and aft.
If it makes any sense here's how you do it. Go forward on the engine in the direction you are going (so if you want to walk to port, forward on the port engine) and opposite on the other engine. Put the bow thruster on about 25% in the direction you want to go...if the stern starts dragging, rudders over in the opposite direction you want to go. Kinda complicated, but so much fun! Some tugs are balanced enough between engines and rudders that you don't need a thruster...but not the ones we are using.
I was a little shaky at first....but at the end of simulator time on Tuesday...I was acing it. What can I say...I'm da masta..it just comes natural.
I suppose I'll pause and do a brief descrip. on the boats.
The main one we are using is called the USNS Grappel. It is 255 ft long and used as a salvage/rescue tug. This means that towing was designed as its secondary job. Its primary job is to get wrecks of the bottom of ocean, get Navy deep sea divers where they need to go and assist in their job, and rescue ships before they become salvage ships. It handles like a Ferrari and looks a bit brutish.
The other boat is the Apache. It is 225 and 100% meant for towing astern. It tows Submarines, is the designated sub rescue ship on the East Coast, and does general towing for anything the Navy needs. One of the things it does is tow an old out of use MSC ship out a few miles offshore where the Navy Seals come and practice taking it over. It also tows ships out for target practice. I like the Grappel more....smoother ride, sexier boat, funner jobs, and handles way better.
So now its Wed. The idea was that everyone (Capts and Mates) were going to take turns backing the Grappel up to the Apache and taking it in tow. Since there were so many of us, and the maneuver takes time, only the Capts. were able to get turns. The Mates took turns being out on deck making and breaking tow (doing the actual hook up to the tow line) and taking turns on the throttle and thruster controls. I don't mind not getting a turn, it was blowing about 20-25 kts out in Thimble Shoals and even the Capts were having a hard time battling the wind and keeping the tug steady when they needed it.
It was coming to the end of the day, and the Capt goes 'How 'bout we let one of the new mates take her home'. We have a couple of lets say really eager beavers in our group...who couldnt get to the Capt fast enough and beat the other out for the spot. I was on the throttles busy taking orders from a Capt who was finishing up backing to the Apache (he was one of the Capts. that interviewed and hired me incidently.). I was a little on the fence about getting the chance.
The way I looked at it...I knew I could do it, buuut there were 12 Capts on the bridge, all with 20+ yrs experience and 8 other new mates. Lots of Type A personallities and judgments going on. And the Capt that hired me was there, not really the time I wanna make a mistake. I wanted to save that for tomorrow. Well, the Capt, after taking a step back from the eager beavers decided the mates should draw straws, and the short one wins. And who gets it....THIS GUY. Of course I would get the short straw. It was almost comical. Needless to say, there wee some angry beavers.
The last Capt finished up and the Grappel Capt decided to let person with next shortest straw get us to the channel (a girl who also wasn't the most eager to go in front of all the Capts.) She opened up the throttles and got us to the channel a few miles away, which cruising at 14 kts happened quick. The max speed is about 16 knts. She got us into the channel and did an excellent job of it.
So I take over, put her on the range and start on in. This 250 ft. 'boat' just got big....really big. I just did what I was taught and guided her in, having to compensate for a beam wind and adjoining flooding current. The way we went through a narrow part of the channel, I had to put her at about a 25 degrees cock-eyed in the channel to keep her going forward. So we looked diagonal in the channel going at an angle, but were really going straight. I know, it sounds confusing.
I came roaring in there at 12 knots. The faster you go, the easier it is to maneuver. Once we got into the harbor I dropped down to slow ahead, which got the engines down to about 5 kts. Unlike huge ships, once I slowed the engines, the Grappel was moving at 5 kts in about a 1-1.5 min. I moved her down the harbor, around a narrow bend beautifully. I could feel all eyes on me...I was def started to sweat. I stopped the Grappel in the channel right off the intended dock and right on range....perfect job. From there, Capt Bush (the Capt that interviewed me) took over and backed her in. I was pretty pleased when the Capt said I did a good job. After we got all tied up and called it a day, the crew dragged a cooler full of beer onto the dock and the Capt and crew joined us for a cold one...perfect day! (No drinking on ships, but you can drink on the pier next to it!)
So tomorrow the Mates go on the Grappel and the Capts on the Apache. There we take turns doing 'bump and goes'. Everyone will take turns being in command and practice docking the ship and then pulling away from the dock, without tossing up mooring lines. Just bump up against the dock and go. I'm pretty excited because the ship handles just like I expected and it makes things so easy. I just have to be careful about walking into the dock...I do it more at a jog. I don't move forward or astern, which is what a lot of people have problems at...I just bumped the doc at about 3-3.5 knots. I'd say ideal is no mrore than a knot. It should be an easy fix...especially since the 20 knot wind is expected to hold force and position...which is blowing us off the dock. Friday the Capts and Mates switch boats and I'll do the same thing just on the Apache.
So that is my super lengthy entry. I'll post pics with captions shortly. Amy has to show me how to get it going. I'll post some on FB if you just can't wait!
Thanks for reading!
p.s. I did proof read this one mostly. I hate reading my own writing, so I got about 3/4 the way through and decided it left me a good goal to set to make it all the way next time. Here are a few pics, will post a slideshow when I learn how to!
The first pic is me on the Grappel with the Apache in the distance.
Second is of me on the pier with the Grappel in the background.
Third is of Apache making a pass
The 4th is of the Apache off our stern. We had just finished making tow and were paying out the hawser (tow rope, didn't use wire today). The Apache was about 30-40 feet closer while we made tow. About 20-30 feet of our stern total.
Well, the good 'ol Govt got me. They got me good. I had to cancel my plane ticket home, show up for an unscheduled Saturday class (overtime 2 weeks in a row anyone?) and then take a bus down to Virginia Beach the following Sunday. Even I'm starting to get confused what state I'm in now, so if you're lost that makes a boat load of us. I'm in Virginia Beach, Va...for now.
So I am down here taking classes about Tugboat training. The official document I'm supposed to get is called a Towing Officer's Assessment Record and another called the Mate of Towing. The first one is a big book of things I have to do that a qualified officer has to sign me off as competent. These checklist include such things as backing up to a tow, maneuvering 'at the hip' (tying up alongside underway and moving the tow that way), towing a tow underway a while, etc etc etc. Not too terribly difficult stuff, though it does require a degree of skill.
However, on day one the Capt running the show said with a class as big as we are (8 new mates, 5-7 experiences Capts.) that there is now way we are all going to get all the sign offs. Go MSC! You continue to keep those 4 star employee relationship surveys coming your way....ha.
So for this training we were divided into two groups, the Capts in one and the new Mates in another. The first week the mates went on ship familiarization tours of the two tugs they have down here (more on that in a few) and then spent time in one simulator, while the Capts. went to the another simulator run by an outside company. Nothing real special about the week. Our simulator was an MSC, so low budget and it showed. But it did a good job and really taught us how to maneuver and manipulate a ship using twin screws and rudders and a bow thruster.
This week, the Capts and Mates switched. We (the mates ) went to Mid Atlantic Maritime Academy, an training facility for Merchant Mariners. They have a high end simulator there that we used to further practice driving similar ship that we would be driving later in the week. We mainly practiced docking and picking up tows in various winds and currents. My favorite things is where you 'walk' the tug. You literally make the tug move sideways instead of forward and aft.
If it makes any sense here's how you do it. Go forward on the engine in the direction you are going (so if you want to walk to port, forward on the port engine) and opposite on the other engine. Put the bow thruster on about 25% in the direction you want to go...if the stern starts dragging, rudders over in the opposite direction you want to go. Kinda complicated, but so much fun! Some tugs are balanced enough between engines and rudders that you don't need a thruster...but not the ones we are using.
I was a little shaky at first....but at the end of simulator time on Tuesday...I was acing it. What can I say...I'm da masta..it just comes natural.
I suppose I'll pause and do a brief descrip. on the boats.
The main one we are using is called the USNS Grappel. It is 255 ft long and used as a salvage/rescue tug. This means that towing was designed as its secondary job. Its primary job is to get wrecks of the bottom of ocean, get Navy deep sea divers where they need to go and assist in their job, and rescue ships before they become salvage ships. It handles like a Ferrari and looks a bit brutish.
The other boat is the Apache. It is 225 and 100% meant for towing astern. It tows Submarines, is the designated sub rescue ship on the East Coast, and does general towing for anything the Navy needs. One of the things it does is tow an old out of use MSC ship out a few miles offshore where the Navy Seals come and practice taking it over. It also tows ships out for target practice. I like the Grappel more....smoother ride, sexier boat, funner jobs, and handles way better.
So now its Wed. The idea was that everyone (Capts and Mates) were going to take turns backing the Grappel up to the Apache and taking it in tow. Since there were so many of us, and the maneuver takes time, only the Capts. were able to get turns. The Mates took turns being out on deck making and breaking tow (doing the actual hook up to the tow line) and taking turns on the throttle and thruster controls. I don't mind not getting a turn, it was blowing about 20-25 kts out in Thimble Shoals and even the Capts were having a hard time battling the wind and keeping the tug steady when they needed it.
It was coming to the end of the day, and the Capt goes 'How 'bout we let one of the new mates take her home'. We have a couple of lets say really eager beavers in our group...who couldnt get to the Capt fast enough and beat the other out for the spot. I was on the throttles busy taking orders from a Capt who was finishing up backing to the Apache (he was one of the Capts. that interviewed and hired me incidently.). I was a little on the fence about getting the chance.
The way I looked at it...I knew I could do it, buuut there were 12 Capts on the bridge, all with 20+ yrs experience and 8 other new mates. Lots of Type A personallities and judgments going on. And the Capt that hired me was there, not really the time I wanna make a mistake. I wanted to save that for tomorrow. Well, the Capt, after taking a step back from the eager beavers decided the mates should draw straws, and the short one wins. And who gets it....THIS GUY. Of course I would get the short straw. It was almost comical. Needless to say, there wee some angry beavers.
The last Capt finished up and the Grappel Capt decided to let person with next shortest straw get us to the channel (a girl who also wasn't the most eager to go in front of all the Capts.) She opened up the throttles and got us to the channel a few miles away, which cruising at 14 kts happened quick. The max speed is about 16 knts. She got us into the channel and did an excellent job of it.
So I take over, put her on the range and start on in. This 250 ft. 'boat' just got big....really big. I just did what I was taught and guided her in, having to compensate for a beam wind and adjoining flooding current. The way we went through a narrow part of the channel, I had to put her at about a 25 degrees cock-eyed in the channel to keep her going forward. So we looked diagonal in the channel going at an angle, but were really going straight. I know, it sounds confusing.
I came roaring in there at 12 knots. The faster you go, the easier it is to maneuver. Once we got into the harbor I dropped down to slow ahead, which got the engines down to about 5 kts. Unlike huge ships, once I slowed the engines, the Grappel was moving at 5 kts in about a 1-1.5 min. I moved her down the harbor, around a narrow bend beautifully. I could feel all eyes on me...I was def started to sweat. I stopped the Grappel in the channel right off the intended dock and right on range....perfect job. From there, Capt Bush (the Capt that interviewed me) took over and backed her in. I was pretty pleased when the Capt said I did a good job. After we got all tied up and called it a day, the crew dragged a cooler full of beer onto the dock and the Capt and crew joined us for a cold one...perfect day! (No drinking on ships, but you can drink on the pier next to it!)
So tomorrow the Mates go on the Grappel and the Capts on the Apache. There we take turns doing 'bump and goes'. Everyone will take turns being in command and practice docking the ship and then pulling away from the dock, without tossing up mooring lines. Just bump up against the dock and go. I'm pretty excited because the ship handles just like I expected and it makes things so easy. I just have to be careful about walking into the dock...I do it more at a jog. I don't move forward or astern, which is what a lot of people have problems at...I just bumped the doc at about 3-3.5 knots. I'd say ideal is no mrore than a knot. It should be an easy fix...especially since the 20 knot wind is expected to hold force and position...which is blowing us off the dock. Friday the Capts and Mates switch boats and I'll do the same thing just on the Apache.
So that is my super lengthy entry. I'll post pics with captions shortly. Amy has to show me how to get it going. I'll post some on FB if you just can't wait!
Thanks for reading!
p.s. I did proof read this one mostly. I hate reading my own writing, so I got about 3/4 the way through and decided it left me a good goal to set to make it all the way next time. Here are a few pics, will post a slideshow when I learn how to!
The first pic is me on the Grappel with the Apache in the distance.
Second is of me on the pier with the Grappel in the background.
Third is of Apache making a pass
The 4th is of the Apache off our stern. We had just finished making tow and were paying out the hawser (tow rope, didn't use wire today). The Apache was about 30-40 feet closer while we made tow. About 20-30 feet of our stern total.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Living Fast, Feeling Slow
It feels like two more weeks have past, but its only been one. I guess time finally seems to be slowing down to to warp speed.
Last week's class of Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Officer Course was pretty rough. We could have covered all the material in 3.5 days but had to beat the dead horse again and drag it out over 6. There is a lot of saying things three different ways, but it really pounds it into your skull nicely. No way I could forget this stuff.
We learned all about the different types of chem and bio weapons that are out there and how to best defend and protect ourselves from them....which there really isn't much you can do except put on a groovy suit and tuck your head between your legs. Its a scary world out there folks. Hopefully I'll never have to use this stuff in real life. On Saturday (overtime!!) we staged a mock drill where we were under attack (the instructors chose VX nerve gas and weaponized small pox). We had to get all decked out in our suits and gas masks, wait for the attack to end, then go out and recover casualties and decontaminate the scene. It was a fun exercise and we learned a lot, but being in that suit for 4 hours was pretty brutal, even for the brutes.
Since we are federal employees, we had Monday off and decided to take advantage of what was left of the 3 day weekend. Liz (a 3rd officer from Mass Maritime), Harry, and I took a train up to New York City, not really sure of our intentions. Liz went off to Queens to see a cousin while Harry and I went in search of something to do. We walked around Times Square and over to Central Park and just kinda mosied around the streets stopping for hotdogs from street vendors every now and then. I don't know how they do it, but those are the best hotdogs I've ever had.
Soon enough it was dark and we decided to go bar hopping and mingle with the local yokals. I decided to see if we could find the bar that is the basis for the bar in the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. A quick search on the Googleberry and we found it. I was pretty surprised, and it was close to use too...a few blocks out of Times Square. The bar was called McGee's Pub and was a pretty cozy place, and packed with people too.
Short side note. NYC during the day and NYC at night are two polar opposites. At night its bustling, touristy, and people are going about their business. At night, all hell breaks loose! The bright lights and flashing neon billboards are blinding, there are people everywhere, excitement is in the air and broadway is going on. It's time to party!
Anyways, we went to the bar and started to watch the Rangers-Tigers game and chatted with the locals. A sudden thought popped in my head and I texted Anna Hiort (an old family friend) to see what she was up to. Sure enough she told me to come on out to the Lower East Side where it was going off. We met her, her fiance Sean, and a couple friends at a bar called Verlaines. It was a really classy place, packed with the 20-something generation, and happy hour 'til 11pm. We fit right in. We hung out there drinking potent Lycheetinis (I know weird sounding but so good!) After an hour or so of that we went to another bar a block away to see an indy type band that Anna and Sean new the lead singers. It was a great band, and it was great to jam out to live music. We stayed around and did a little dancing to a few more bands too.
After that it we all called it a night and headed our separate ways. We caught a late night burger and headed back to Jersey.
On Sunday, on a natural high from having the night of nights in New York City, we decided to give Philly a try out. We caught the train up there and pulled in mid afternoon where we met Uncle Brian. The train dropped us smack in the middle of downtown and we were immediately blown away by the gorgeous architecture and thrilled with streets that we could walk down without having to thread the needle with a million other people like in NYC.
Brain walked us down to McGillen's, Philly's oldest pub, founded the year Lincoln became president. Man if those walls could talk! We stayed there and chatted over a beer and Brian went on his way. Harry and I stuck around for cheese-steaks and nachos (a glorious, artery-clogging combo!). We loved it there, but had to get out and do some exploring. So we got off the bar stools and set out on foot with no destination in mind. We walked by the area where the Liberty Bell was and to a few other places that I recognized out of the National Treasure.
Around 9 we started back for McGillen's and karaoke, which I happen to be a semi-professional at. We walked in and were amazed at how busy it was for a Sunday night, and loved it! The bartenders were hilarious, and there were lots of pretty girls that loved to dance...my forte! I think between the dancing and the singing I was on the stage more than I was off. Thankfully, Brian's girlfriend Heather offered us her apt for the night and we graciously accepted. Thank you so much again if you are reading this Heather! We left the bar around 1:30-2am and called it a night while we were still ahead of the game. Philly completely blew us away, we had a great night and can't wait to go back!!
We took the train back to Jersey on Monday (after the fun filled weekend it was a little depressing) and got ready for the week ahead. It was the best weekend I've had since being here.
Today we started OHE (ordinance handling....something? Not sure about that E). Basically, we are learning all about underway replenishment and how to handle bombs and what not. Its a ton of info packed into four days....and its not the most exciting stuff either. Kinda a let down, the course sounded pretty fun.
And here comes the bad news.....
I was SUPPOSED to be flying to Dallas this Friday, but it is all up in the air now. MSC is/was cutting our traiining short here for a week and going to send us to Norfolk Sunday for Tugboat certifications and training for two weeks. No big deal...Harry, Liz, (both had trips booked and were flying into Philly too) and I were going to rent a car back to Norfolk Sunday when we landed.
However, now we are having to come in this Saturday for a Fall Protection Rescue class that we were supposed to do on Tuesday, but its been moved back since we are not going to be here. However, MSC is saying after we go to VA for our weeks of Tug training, we have to come back to NJ to make up for that last week of training we are missing.
Why can't we wait a week and finish here? Why cant we take that class during that week we come back like all the other classes we are scheduled to miss? I don't know. I think it makes way too much sense for them. So 11 of us are sitting in limbo, having no idea what lies in store for the coming weeks....but a trip to Dallas is not looking like its in the cards. That tug class would be the 17th-30th by the way.
Pretty frustrating, they are probably going to wait until the last minute (as usual) to tell us. I have until Thursday night to put my ticket in for an exchange, though it'll cost me 150 bones when I use the voucher to get a new ticket. Oh well, cue the circus music and let the game play on. At least I'm lucky enough to be employed.
I'll update when I know what my future holds.
Smooth Sailing,
Last week's class of Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Officer Course was pretty rough. We could have covered all the material in 3.5 days but had to beat the dead horse again and drag it out over 6. There is a lot of saying things three different ways, but it really pounds it into your skull nicely. No way I could forget this stuff.
We learned all about the different types of chem and bio weapons that are out there and how to best defend and protect ourselves from them....which there really isn't much you can do except put on a groovy suit and tuck your head between your legs. Its a scary world out there folks. Hopefully I'll never have to use this stuff in real life. On Saturday (overtime!!) we staged a mock drill where we were under attack (the instructors chose VX nerve gas and weaponized small pox). We had to get all decked out in our suits and gas masks, wait for the attack to end, then go out and recover casualties and decontaminate the scene. It was a fun exercise and we learned a lot, but being in that suit for 4 hours was pretty brutal, even for the brutes.
Since we are federal employees, we had Monday off and decided to take advantage of what was left of the 3 day weekend. Liz (a 3rd officer from Mass Maritime), Harry, and I took a train up to New York City, not really sure of our intentions. Liz went off to Queens to see a cousin while Harry and I went in search of something to do. We walked around Times Square and over to Central Park and just kinda mosied around the streets stopping for hotdogs from street vendors every now and then. I don't know how they do it, but those are the best hotdogs I've ever had.
Soon enough it was dark and we decided to go bar hopping and mingle with the local yokals. I decided to see if we could find the bar that is the basis for the bar in the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. A quick search on the Googleberry and we found it. I was pretty surprised, and it was close to use too...a few blocks out of Times Square. The bar was called McGee's Pub and was a pretty cozy place, and packed with people too.
Short side note. NYC during the day and NYC at night are two polar opposites. At night its bustling, touristy, and people are going about their business. At night, all hell breaks loose! The bright lights and flashing neon billboards are blinding, there are people everywhere, excitement is in the air and broadway is going on. It's time to party!
Anyways, we went to the bar and started to watch the Rangers-Tigers game and chatted with the locals. A sudden thought popped in my head and I texted Anna Hiort (an old family friend) to see what she was up to. Sure enough she told me to come on out to the Lower East Side where it was going off. We met her, her fiance Sean, and a couple friends at a bar called Verlaines. It was a really classy place, packed with the 20-something generation, and happy hour 'til 11pm. We fit right in. We hung out there drinking potent Lycheetinis (I know weird sounding but so good!) After an hour or so of that we went to another bar a block away to see an indy type band that Anna and Sean new the lead singers. It was a great band, and it was great to jam out to live music. We stayed around and did a little dancing to a few more bands too.
After that it we all called it a night and headed our separate ways. We caught a late night burger and headed back to Jersey.
On Sunday, on a natural high from having the night of nights in New York City, we decided to give Philly a try out. We caught the train up there and pulled in mid afternoon where we met Uncle Brian. The train dropped us smack in the middle of downtown and we were immediately blown away by the gorgeous architecture and thrilled with streets that we could walk down without having to thread the needle with a million other people like in NYC.
Brain walked us down to McGillen's, Philly's oldest pub, founded the year Lincoln became president. Man if those walls could talk! We stayed there and chatted over a beer and Brian went on his way. Harry and I stuck around for cheese-steaks and nachos (a glorious, artery-clogging combo!). We loved it there, but had to get out and do some exploring. So we got off the bar stools and set out on foot with no destination in mind. We walked by the area where the Liberty Bell was and to a few other places that I recognized out of the National Treasure.
Around 9 we started back for McGillen's and karaoke, which I happen to be a semi-professional at. We walked in and were amazed at how busy it was for a Sunday night, and loved it! The bartenders were hilarious, and there were lots of pretty girls that loved to dance...my forte! I think between the dancing and the singing I was on the stage more than I was off. Thankfully, Brian's girlfriend Heather offered us her apt for the night and we graciously accepted. Thank you so much again if you are reading this Heather! We left the bar around 1:30-2am and called it a night while we were still ahead of the game. Philly completely blew us away, we had a great night and can't wait to go back!!
We took the train back to Jersey on Monday (after the fun filled weekend it was a little depressing) and got ready for the week ahead. It was the best weekend I've had since being here.
Today we started OHE (ordinance handling....something? Not sure about that E). Basically, we are learning all about underway replenishment and how to handle bombs and what not. Its a ton of info packed into four days....and its not the most exciting stuff either. Kinda a let down, the course sounded pretty fun.
And here comes the bad news.....
I was SUPPOSED to be flying to Dallas this Friday, but it is all up in the air now. MSC is/was cutting our traiining short here for a week and going to send us to Norfolk Sunday for Tugboat certifications and training for two weeks. No big deal...Harry, Liz, (both had trips booked and were flying into Philly too) and I were going to rent a car back to Norfolk Sunday when we landed.
However, now we are having to come in this Saturday for a Fall Protection Rescue class that we were supposed to do on Tuesday, but its been moved back since we are not going to be here. However, MSC is saying after we go to VA for our weeks of Tug training, we have to come back to NJ to make up for that last week of training we are missing.
Why can't we wait a week and finish here? Why cant we take that class during that week we come back like all the other classes we are scheduled to miss? I don't know. I think it makes way too much sense for them. So 11 of us are sitting in limbo, having no idea what lies in store for the coming weeks....but a trip to Dallas is not looking like its in the cards. That tug class would be the 17th-30th by the way.
Pretty frustrating, they are probably going to wait until the last minute (as usual) to tell us. I have until Thursday night to put my ticket in for an exchange, though it'll cost me 150 bones when I use the voucher to get a new ticket. Oh well, cue the circus music and let the game play on. At least I'm lucky enough to be employed.
I'll update when I know what my future holds.
Smooth Sailing,
Monday, October 3, 2011
Two Week Recap
Well, another two weeks has flown by and I'm diving headfirst into my fifth (I think? I've lost track of the weeks) of training here in New Jersey.
Week Three:
Week three was a continuation of the small arms course. We spent most of the week sitting through awful powerpoints over anti-terrorism and how to defend against a hostile threat to the ship. We were drilled over the use of deadly force and the limited circumstances we could use it in.
What we were all waiting for was Friday. Thats when we got to shoot each other! We were divided into teams of 6 and took turns running scenarios where one team were terrorists and the other good guys. We used in a burn house (a simulated house used by firefighters to train putting out fires) to defend/attack. The 'terrorists' would be positioned inside the house while the 'good guys' had to form a plan and attack and take over the terrorists. The weapons we were using were Beretta 9mm and firing 'simunition'. It was a real gun, capable of firing live ammo, but instead we loaded bullets with soap tips that exploded on impact. That way we weren't harmed. We were also wearing heavily padded suits and full face masks for protection. Unless a round it your hand, you could hardly feel yourself getting shot.
I was point man on all our scenarios, first in the door. This means I got shot.....a lot. But I was also able to get my fair share of shots in on the opponents. We ran 4 scenerious, with each team playing good guy/bad guy twice. The fifth and final scenario was the best. We were given permission to do anything we wanted. My team were the bad guys, so we barricaded doors and set up ambushes for the good guys to be funneled into. We also took off our day-glow crossing guard vests which identified us as bad guys. Meanwhile, the good guys were given the go ahead to do anything as well (each team didn't know the other could do anything). So we had to quickly change plans when they started coming in doors and windows we weren't prepared for. It was lots of fun. Its not everyday you get to shoot that annoying coworker that just pushes those buttons!
Anyways, as fun as it was, we still learned a lot about how to defend and attack against opposing forces on ships, something I really hope I never have to do. I'll let the Marines deal with that stuff.
Week 4:
Well, the fun and games of guns are now over and behind us. Time to roll up the sleeves and get to work. Week four covered first aid and survival, something that has been pounded into our brains day in and day out for the last four years. Never such a thing as too much training, right?
Mon-Thru days were brutally dull power points. Its like they are testing the human limit to stay awake and tolerate painful presentations. We went over everything from cuts and cpr...to what do if you are bobbing in the water after your ship sinks. I wish there was something exciting I could report, but there isn't.
On Fri we went nearby to Ft. Dix joint forces base to use their pool. There had to demonstrate proper use of immersion suits (a.k.a. gumby suits), life jackets, and life rafts. The gumby suits are big red suits that are designed to keep a person warm in cold/extreme cold water after abandoning ship. While they don't prevent death from occurring, they certainly buy the user more time while waiting for rescue...ranging from 50-80% more time than without a survival suit. We had to get in the water and form chains and huddles that we would use as a group in real world situations. We did the same thing with the life jackets.
For the life rafts, we had to right an upended life raft by climbing on it and pulling on straps. Then once righted, we all (we took turns doing this with teams of 6) got in and practiced what we would do if this was real. Paddle from danger, set a sea anchor, take sea sickness pills, assign duties, etc, etc. It was a nice change of pace from the classroom, and we got to have some fun in a pool!
So now I'm in week 5. We are doing the Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Officer course. We get to learn about all the goodies like nerve gas, blood agents, weaponized small pox, and sorts of goodies that will really mess a person up and how to defend against them. There really isn't much you can do to defend against them except wait it out in a way that is specific to the attack. Then you gotta put on some fancy suits and go and super clean the area. The main thing used to cleans is HGH mixed with a bit of detergent. HGH is like super strong bleach. A few drops of it and it can burn straight through your arm. It's crazy potent and does a hell of a job getting rid of chemical and biological agents. This is one of the most important classes we are taking here.
It is a whole lot of information to absorb at one time, and its one of the few things that are having us perk up and keep the drool from running. We do this all week and then come in on Saturday and stage a mock attack and defend against it and clean up after it. Its stinks we have to come in on Saturday, esp since its a 3 day weekend. It would have been nice to fly to Dallas this weekend. But, at 40 bucks an hour of overtime all day, I'm not complaining to much!
Thats about all I got. On a side note, MSC is putting mates out on ships as fast as they can get them through training. A few people cycled back to the pool over the last few weeks and all are now on ships, waiting around in Virginia for only 2 weeks or less. Its kinda exciting and a little unnerving that I could be on a ship as a 3rd officer in 5 weeks from now! I'm not too worried, I'm gonna be awesome!
Thanks for reading!
Week Three:
Week three was a continuation of the small arms course. We spent most of the week sitting through awful powerpoints over anti-terrorism and how to defend against a hostile threat to the ship. We were drilled over the use of deadly force and the limited circumstances we could use it in.
What we were all waiting for was Friday. Thats when we got to shoot each other! We were divided into teams of 6 and took turns running scenarios where one team were terrorists and the other good guys. We used in a burn house (a simulated house used by firefighters to train putting out fires) to defend/attack. The 'terrorists' would be positioned inside the house while the 'good guys' had to form a plan and attack and take over the terrorists. The weapons we were using were Beretta 9mm and firing 'simunition'. It was a real gun, capable of firing live ammo, but instead we loaded bullets with soap tips that exploded on impact. That way we weren't harmed. We were also wearing heavily padded suits and full face masks for protection. Unless a round it your hand, you could hardly feel yourself getting shot.
I was point man on all our scenarios, first in the door. This means I got shot.....a lot. But I was also able to get my fair share of shots in on the opponents. We ran 4 scenerious, with each team playing good guy/bad guy twice. The fifth and final scenario was the best. We were given permission to do anything we wanted. My team were the bad guys, so we barricaded doors and set up ambushes for the good guys to be funneled into. We also took off our day-glow crossing guard vests which identified us as bad guys. Meanwhile, the good guys were given the go ahead to do anything as well (each team didn't know the other could do anything). So we had to quickly change plans when they started coming in doors and windows we weren't prepared for. It was lots of fun. Its not everyday you get to shoot that annoying coworker that just pushes those buttons!
Anyways, as fun as it was, we still learned a lot about how to defend and attack against opposing forces on ships, something I really hope I never have to do. I'll let the Marines deal with that stuff.
Week 4:
Well, the fun and games of guns are now over and behind us. Time to roll up the sleeves and get to work. Week four covered first aid and survival, something that has been pounded into our brains day in and day out for the last four years. Never such a thing as too much training, right?
Mon-Thru days were brutally dull power points. Its like they are testing the human limit to stay awake and tolerate painful presentations. We went over everything from cuts and cpr...to what do if you are bobbing in the water after your ship sinks. I wish there was something exciting I could report, but there isn't.
On Fri we went nearby to Ft. Dix joint forces base to use their pool. There had to demonstrate proper use of immersion suits (a.k.a. gumby suits), life jackets, and life rafts. The gumby suits are big red suits that are designed to keep a person warm in cold/extreme cold water after abandoning ship. While they don't prevent death from occurring, they certainly buy the user more time while waiting for rescue...ranging from 50-80% more time than without a survival suit. We had to get in the water and form chains and huddles that we would use as a group in real world situations. We did the same thing with the life jackets.
For the life rafts, we had to right an upended life raft by climbing on it and pulling on straps. Then once righted, we all (we took turns doing this with teams of 6) got in and practiced what we would do if this was real. Paddle from danger, set a sea anchor, take sea sickness pills, assign duties, etc, etc. It was a nice change of pace from the classroom, and we got to have some fun in a pool!
So now I'm in week 5. We are doing the Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense Officer course. We get to learn about all the goodies like nerve gas, blood agents, weaponized small pox, and sorts of goodies that will really mess a person up and how to defend against them. There really isn't much you can do to defend against them except wait it out in a way that is specific to the attack. Then you gotta put on some fancy suits and go and super clean the area. The main thing used to cleans is HGH mixed with a bit of detergent. HGH is like super strong bleach. A few drops of it and it can burn straight through your arm. It's crazy potent and does a hell of a job getting rid of chemical and biological agents. This is one of the most important classes we are taking here.
It is a whole lot of information to absorb at one time, and its one of the few things that are having us perk up and keep the drool from running. We do this all week and then come in on Saturday and stage a mock attack and defend against it and clean up after it. Its stinks we have to come in on Saturday, esp since its a 3 day weekend. It would have been nice to fly to Dallas this weekend. But, at 40 bucks an hour of overtime all day, I'm not complaining to much!
Thats about all I got. On a side note, MSC is putting mates out on ships as fast as they can get them through training. A few people cycled back to the pool over the last few weeks and all are now on ships, waiting around in Virginia for only 2 weeks or less. Its kinda exciting and a little unnerving that I could be on a ship as a 3rd officer in 5 weeks from now! I'm not too worried, I'm gonna be awesome!
Thanks for reading!
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